Assessing the potential environmental effects of a new mountain bike (MTB) trail

Mt Tumbarumba Adventure Park MTB Trails - Impact Assessments

After receiving funds from the Australian Government’s Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grant (BSBR), Natural Trails, partnered with Cycle Tumbarumba, announced that they would use the money to significantly boost the area as a cycle tourism destination. They reached out to us to provide an environmental constraints review for mountain bike (MTB) trail development at Mt Tumbarumba Adventure Park.

We assessed the potential limitations for pursuing the proposed works, undertaking a statement of environmental effects (SEE) and development application (DA). This process involved completing a biodiversity development assessment report (BDAR). Some of the challenges we faced included the large amount of area over multiple land ownership, both Freehold and Crownland, resulting in different approval pathways. Our solution was to conduct two forms of assessment to reduce costings as the Crownland work had less stringent ecological requirements for development approvals.

Once approved, this project will complement existing area MTB trails and be suitable for the whole family while also offering challenging downhill runs and technical climbs to test the skills of experienced riders.